Noël Wise at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- Jurisdiction
- California · Federal
- Judicial service
- December 19, 2024–present
Noël Wise
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- Professional Career: Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of California (on detail), 1997-1998
- Professional Career: Adjunct professor, Semester in Washington Program, Vermont Law School, 1997-1998
- Professional Career: Adjunct professor, Golden Gate University School of Law, 2000-2001
- Professional Career: Associate professor, George Washington University Law School, 1995-1997
- Professional Career: Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1994-2002
- Professional Career: Honors trial attorney, Environmental Enforcement Section, 1994-1997
- Professional Career: Private practice, San Francisco, California, 2002-2004
- Professional Career: In-house counsel, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco, California, 2004-2006; acting director and manager of Renewable Power Generation, 2005-2006
- Professional Career: Teaching fellow, Stanford Law School, 2001-2002
- Professional Career: Trial attorney, Environmental Crimes Section, 1998-1999
- Professional Career: Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2000-2006
- Professional Career: Private practice, Alameda, California, 2006-2014
- Professional Career: Trial attorney, Environmental Enforcement Section, 1999-2002
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Harry Lee Anstead, Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District, 1993-1994
Judicial service
- Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, 2014-present
- Professional Career: Assistant supervising judge, Family Law Division, 2017
- Professional Career: Supervising judge, Appellate Division, 2019-2021
- Professional Career: Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, 2014-2024
- Professional Career: Judge, Family Law Division, 2014-2016
- Professional Career: Judge and acting supervising judge, Civil Division, 2018-2021
- Professional Career: Supervising judge, Civil Complex Litigation, 2023-2024
- Professional Career: Panel judge, Appellate Division, 2018-2019
- Professional Career: Judge pro tem, California Court of Appeal, Second District, 2021-2022
- Professional Career: Judge, Civil Division, 2023
Education
- University of Nevada-Las Vegas · BA, 1989
- Nova Southeastern University · JD, 1993
- Stanford University · JSD, 2002
- University of Nevada · B.S., 1989
- Stanford Law School · 2002
- Nova University (now Nova Southeastern University) Shepard Broad Law Center · J.D., 1993
Personal record
Born 1965
Courtroom rules and guidance
Technology Walkthrough
The Northern District of California publishes guidance advising counsel to fully test their equipment and schedule a courtroom visit to test it before the proceeding.
The court highly recommends that counsel be familiar their equipment and fully test prior to using anything in the courtroom. ... schedule a visit in the courtroom to test everything before the proceeding.Courtroom Technology ↗
Specialized Evidence Software
For e-evidence requiring specialized software, the Northern District of California publishes a process for at least two business days' advance notice through the Courtroom Deputy and approval by the judge and Court IT.
at least two (2) business days advance notice, counsel may request via the Courtroom Deputy that the specialized software be loaded by counsel prior to use of the system. If the judge and the court’s IT Department approve...Courtroom Technology ↗
Civil Remote Testimony
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked August 16, 2026
https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/judges/CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/13991/noel-wise/Courtroom Technology
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://cand.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technologyFederal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts